Charles, youv'e got it right Scrote as in Scrotum the faithful old family retainer, and is an affectionate term for a friend( its a man thing)., and after a few months of knowing him thats how I see 'Spaw as a true friend who tells you not what you want to hear but what you need to hear and that , my friend is true friendship. even if he is a crabby old Scrote, one day I''ll buy him a beer, ANYTHING but Wild Turkey, which in the words of Miles Wooton is "Good for getting rid of dandruff, good for clearing out your drains"